NFT: Anyone WFH due to COVID excited about going back to office?

has instituted a three tier workforce.

- Essential to be at the office/workplace
- Intermittent need to be at the office
- Non-essential to be at the office

I'm in the 2nd group and we will still be working from home until further notice which means I can go in when necessary, but otherwise can stay at home

I know of several other companies doing something similar

I have seen every possible option...

WFH is prefectly fine for many....improving the well being of their Home Office experience.

But there are some concerns....

Although I understand what they are trying to explain but I would never recommend calling them "non-essential"...as losing their connection to their company, whatever loyalty on both sides is at greater risk....

For those going back....adding distance, seperation and orientation even having protocols ...is all part of it....improving air ventilation and filteration...not only do office need to be safe...but employees must think and feel safe.

other than some business and personnel related administrative functions for my team of contractors (all non-billable work) which I do at home, my work is 100% completed at client's site. Thankfully, we've been 50% (alternating teams) schedule for social distancing reasons while getting 100% pay (for now), so I feel extremely fortunate.

and then we will be similar to what FMiC posted though I think it will just be 2 tiers for the most part.

Come in if you need to but notify your manager before doing so - 50% max capacity

Work from home if you can

...our office has about 50 people in 8 aisles of cubes and offices, we've been almost 100% telework - I believe that as things reopen, we will do a *reverse* telework schedule. People going in once or twice per week, never allowing office clusters to be in house until CoVid is no longer a threat.

After the weekend's protests, we'll all be lucky if we're not in full lockdown in a month.

I am actually content to work from home. I never thought I would be, but I have gotten used to it and am enjoying it. And saving nearly $500/month on Metro North and NYC Subway costs

For a school district. Been going in and doing things for almost a month now, its hard to get back into the routine. At first it was tues and friday only 9-1:30, the mon-weds 9-1:30 and this week its mon-thurs 9-1:30. Still trying to feel normal this morning. Very odd

Because i would be distracted and not as productive without the proper software and set up, but now I prefer it for the reasons in the OP. Saving money, saving time, not as exhausted at the end of the day, etc. With a baby on the way too I'm hoping to be able to WFH for a while.

Our previous owner was a major corporation who operated with an old school mentality (offices scattered through out the country in prime real estate parts of their city, and the main offices in mid town Manhattan and CT). After the purchase our new CEO said we're moving out of mid town and heading to Jersey City and it appears that his plan is to get out of the lease in CT, possibly rent a smaller space up the 95 line, using that space to process payment, house the servers and use for face to face meetings. Otherwise, it appears that the plan is for us to primarily be working from home.

As a father of two who are just approaching the sports age, I couldn't be happier. I can now make games with ease, and I don't have to wake up at 4:30 am to get my workout in before the commute.

The one downside that I am seeing, though, is that I've been called on after hours more than I had been while in the office. It's not drastic, but our hours are 9-5 and I'm working pretty regularly from 8-5:30/6.

Been WFH since March 20th. 20% in office each day beginning June 15 through end of June and upping to 40% in July. Agree on money savings commuting and feeling less tired (2 1/2 hour commute daily) but some things I cannot do unless in the office plus miss face to face interaction. Zoom is not the same.

I'd be lying if I said I was excited to go back to the office full time. I'm fully operational in my office at home. I start working on average an hour earlier every day but i'm still able to relax in the morning without having to commute. If I need to do something in an off hour or on the weekend, it isn't a chore trying to set up since I basically have my work desk here available 24/7.

My company sounds like it's going to implement something similar to FMiC above. I think i'll be home until at least early July.

and hope to for the foreseeable future. My job doesn't require being in the office as my counterpart in the same job works from home down in Florida while we're up in Syracuse, NY.

I love working from home and as mentioned previously, the savings on gas is nice, even though I'm only ~9 miles each way. Being able to just throw on shorts/sweatpants and shirt/sweatshirt and walk 10 feet to the "office" is quite nice.

WFH is no doubt more convenient, but there's something to be said for separation of work & home. I am definitely more productive, but I'm working longer hours.

I just really want to get back to a normal Monday-Friday work week @ the office, a return to normalcy if you will. I know that might not come until there's a vaccine.

will be much more lax once we go back in. I don't mind going in at certain times and it does make working on certain tasks better. There are far more times that WFH is just as effective for me, and it gives me back 2-3 hours of time without the commute.

from home since 2007.

I used to go into the office every few weeks for meetings, trainings, etc.

but I used to travel regularly. I'd have a short-term business trip (1 - 3 nights) usually twice a month. All these trips included colleagues of mine.

So, I don't miss not going to the office, and I won't when things ease up from a restriction standpoint, but I do miss interacting with people.

And I don't expect work travel to change drastically before the end of the year. Since it's not just my company, but the company where I'd be going, and I don't expect those two policies to change and allow travel, etc.

In comment 14914006 YAJ2112 said:

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will be much more lax once we go back in. I don't mind going in at certain times and it does make working on certain tasks better. There are far more times that WFH is just as effective for me, and it gives me back 2-3 hours of time without the commute.

Same boat. When the dust settles I'm can do 100% of my job 1-2 days per week in office and 3-4 days per week home. I'd actually get more done since I commute an hour each way.

I'd also be happier, which I think companies are starting to realize....matters! I've got a kid, no idea if school will be a go this fall and I need to be able to co-teach with my wife. And if school is back then that's even more time that I get to do work without commuting.

as someone based in Manhattan but living outside the island, I hate commuting. Much prefer investing those 2-3 daily hours in my son and at the gym, rather than sitting on mass transit reading or staring out the window at the same sights.

I'd expect many progressive companies will pounce on how much money they can save by shrinking their Manhattan footprint and all the commercial rent and operational costs. I hope mine is one of them, or at least transfer me to our NJ office where a seat is much cheaper for them on a rolling basis.

And government transit budgets/revenues?

Also, if you WFH, can you also deduct expenses on your income tax?

This morning traffic seemed pretty much back to normal. Although, apparently, three months without commuting has caused people to forget how to fucking drive.

i wake up at 6am

i go get my wife a coffee

get on the exercise bike for 30 min

Log in real quick

Take a shower

Then i'm done at 5pm sharp

My old routine was get up at 5:15, leave the house at 5:45, get to my desk at 7am
Get home at 6:15, eat, and have to force myself to exercise....

Now all that being said, i hate WFH. We dont go back till Sept 1, and at that point they are prob going to put us in groups, and i'll prob be in a NJ branch

i'm most likely not going back to NYC till 2021

what I am saving/getting is more of my own time. I have an out building on my property that is a turn of the 20th century farm building. It's called a Granary, a building to store grain in. At one point it was turned into a sap house. We were using it for storage for my knife company and we converted it into a comfortable office. It has original solid maple floors that we had finished and polyurethaned, and it is 150 feet from my house. The commute is great! I make the transition to work from the house, and I can see all the same views of the farm. I installed a giant screen at the entrance (double doors) and when it's open and the windows are open - it's like being out in the country - heavenly. I am surrounded by all the things i love.

The only real drawback is that we have rural internet and I am using massive amounts of data to work virtually -- and that costs more than my commuting costs ever did -- but I am not paying rent on an office -- so I guess that is a savings when I look at it that way.

I think every company will reconsider how its employees work.

In comment 14914007 pjcas18 said:

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from home since 2007. I used to go into the office every few weeks for meetings, trainings, etc. but I used to travel regularly. I'd have a short-term business trip (1 - 3 nights) usually twice a month. All these trips included colleagues of mine. So, I don't miss not going to the office, and I won't when things ease up from a restriction standpoint, but I do miss interacting with people. And I don't expect work travel to change drastically before the end of the year. Since it's not just my company, but the company where I'd be going, and I don't expect those two policies to change and allow travel, etc.

pj, I'm in 100% agreement about missing interacting with people. That's really what I miss WFH. We're social creatures & we need to be around other people than just our immediate families.

would be a huge bonus WFH

So many more distractions at home.

We reopened last Tues at the request of the staff. We started WFH 2nd week of March. Small office keeping apart is no problem. Staff, myself included, were just tired of being home all the time.

In comment 14914019 Bill L said:

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And government transit budgets/revenues? Also, if you WFH, can you also deduct expenses on your income tax?

Its going to get beat up, which in the short term sucks but a reset was/is needed, IMO. So many companies wasting money on office space they don't need when they can instead invest in their employees, hire more/better people, provide better healthcare, etc.

The whole COVID ordeal has brought a lot of hardship but I always thought that something good would eventually come of it and hopefully this is one of them.

all the folks who were trapped in NYC now want to escape to the Hudson Valley like we did 20 years ago. It's a seller's market here right now. I don't know how long it will last, but especially with the low interest rates, it's a very attractive time to buy a country house -- I highly recommend it. And I give generous discounts on my legal services to friends and family : )

was almost an invitation for an IRS audit. That's gonna change.

Commuting expenses were never deductible. But if your office at home is now your main office, does that make travel expenses to the "big office" deductible? And what about meals in the "big office" cafeteria?

deduction on your 1040

Live in NJ. Was taking the PATH every day to work from Essex county. Have been WFH since 2nd week in March. There have been no updates given on when we will be back in the office, but some rumblings that we will be home through the summer.

We were polled on who wants to come back during the different phases. 6 said right away, 2 phase 2, 8 phase 3 or later (or never?).

Working from home has been better in every way. We were already pushing for it at our office and were allowed to do it 1-2 days a week. This whole shelter in place thing has proven that there is no reason why we can't do it full time.

I think we're seeing many major companies were considering work from home before this all began. Now that the transition cost is now a sunk cost, its made the switch that much more of a no brainer. Nationwide, Barclays, Twitter, etc.

and we're looking at about a 12 month time frame until we're back in an office setting. I personally like the office as it helps collaborating as well as the interactions.

When the subways were running, my commute was only 25 minutes so I assume I'm in the minority not having to worry about the commute

will probably look into providing an allowance to rent office space from a coworking or shared workspace. That will still be cheaper than renting the entire building. Commercial real estate is going to look very different.

In comment 14914053 gidiefor said:

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all the folks who were trapped in NYC now want to escape to the Hudson Valley like we did 20 years ago. It's a seller's market here right now. I don't know how long it will last, but especially with the low interest rates, it's a very attractive time to buy a country house -- I highly recommend it. And I give generous discounts on my legal services to friends and family : )

I'm a Fed Gov't employee who normally commuted to DC. My wife and I purchased a mountain home in WV about a year and a half ago. Little did we know handy it would come in. We have been here this whole time and its great. We have 13 acres and another 8 miles of private hiking trails. We go hiking everyday with the dogs.

We are max telework. We can go in if we want to, but are encouraged to stay home. I've gone into DC twice in the last 3 months. I can do 98% of my job from here. I will go back in a week or two. Mainly to check on our house in NOVA....We just found out today that in a couple of weeks, if you do decide to go into the office, you'll have to get your temp taken. If you are above a certain threshold (which we don't know what that will be yet) you will be turned away.

Whose families can’t wait to get you out of the house?

but not enough to outweigh all the benefits of WFH. I can get my human nature fact-to-face needs in my neighborhood and with friends/family anyway.

and make any of you jealous. But the wife and I went out to a real restaurant this past weekend, had sit down service, with a real waitress, and got to enjoy our fist real evening out since the house arrest started. True, all the staff were wearing masks, but it was so nice to get out.

The Chinese takeout place I normally use reopened about a week ago after totally closing since the beginning.. Been using another. She refuses to use the reopening place for the next month because she thinks they may be using food that was sitting a freezer for a couple of months. Is this a legitimate concern?

In comment 14914111 Beer Man said:

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and make any of you jealous. But the wife and I went out to a real restaurant this past weekend, had sit down service, with a real waitress, and got to enjoy our fist real evening out since the house arrest started. True, all the staff were wearing masks, but it was so nice to get out.

Did the same on Friday. It was great to got out for a meal. And about WFH, I've been doing that my whole life and would not have it any other way.

In comment 14914126 Stan in LA said:

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In comment 14914111 Beer Man said: Quote: and make any of you jealous. But the wife and I went out to a real restaurant this past weekend, had sit down service, with a real waitress, and got to enjoy our fist real evening out since the house arrest started. True, all the staff were wearing masks, but it was so nice to get out. Did the same on Friday. It was great to got out for a meal. And about WFH, I've been doing that my whole life and would not have it any other way.

Do your coworkers feel the same way about you working from home?

a couple days a week. I’m an extrovert - bartending in a dive between college and law school was my favorite job - and it’s been hard to be without the social aspect of my job on top of no bars, concerts, dates, etc.

One thing that has been interesting - the hearings I litigate(I represent parents of special needs kids asking for services from the DOE) have really benefitted from moving to phone. Helps scheduling of my witnesses (parent, neuropsychologists, speech therapists, etc) and moves things along much faster now that we don’t have to wait for a physical room to open at the downtown Brooklyn hearing office. No more hours of waiting for a room. So I hope that remains as an option after reopening.

The concept of everyone doing their job in an office building, unless you truly have a lot of in-person collaboration need, does not make sense. I’ve been saving 2.5 hours a day in commuting by WFH, not to mention savings hundreds of dollars a month on transit and gas expenses. It’s been amazing and not negatively impacting the business.

and it stinks to be working from home.

I'm learning a lot, but it would be much better working in the same area with other people. It will be this way for us until at least September.

I also hoped to travel a little on the job, and that's not happening.

as long as you are productive and don't get cabin fever. Also
it helps make the commute easier and less crowded for those who must go in.

In comment 14914169 Dave in PA said:

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The concept of everyone doing their job in an office building, unless you truly have a lot of in-person collaboration need, does not make sense. I’ve been saving 2.5 hours a day in commuting by WFH, not to mention savings hundreds of dollars a month on transit and gas expenses. It’s been amazing and not negatively impacting the business.

yep. at our place we had a record quarter, revenue is up this quarter and client contacts are up 33%. And if you think commuting costs are steep now, wait until they look to make up the lost revenue. Ain't gonna come from the unionized workforce. my metro north monthly is $335. I would not be shocked at a $100/month or more increase for 2021.

Until August. Then we are going on shifts, I'll be in the office 2 days a week and WFH 3 days a week. When in the office you have to get your temp taken as you enter and you have to wear a mask in public spaces like hallways/lobby. They also turned all out cubes into tall "Officles" which I'm not looking forward to because we were in a pretty open area with my entire team. Now it looks depressing.

In comment 14914135 Big Al said:

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In comment 14914126 Stan in LA said: Quote: In comment 14914111 Beer Man said: Quote: and make any of you jealous. But the wife and I went out to a real restaurant this past weekend, had sit down service, with a real waitress, and got to enjoy our fist real evening out since the house arrest started. True, all the staff were wearing masks, but it was so nice to get out. Did the same on Friday. It was great to got out for a meal. And about WFH, I've been doing that my whole life and would not have it any other way. Do your coworkers feel the same way about you working from home?

For me, I worked from home for years, and just took a new job in January that requires me to go into the office 4-days a week. Both have their +'s and -'s. I like the interaction in the office, and being in front of my clients. After several years of working at home I found myself getting barn sour (Barn Sour is a term horse ranchers use. It happens when you never take a horse out of his stall and let him move around, eventually the horse will have to be forced to leave the stall). For several years it seems like I only saw the inside walls of my home office.

Opposite from most, I find more distractions at home; I also don't like having my work computer always around; it's harder to delineate personal time from work time.

Ergonomically speaking, my office set up is way better than my home set up also.

I've always had a flexible schedule, so I figure going forward, I'll be working some sort of hybrid, but looking forward to getting to the office at least 3 days a week going forward.

I'm in Santa Clara County, so I don't expect my office to open before labor day anyway.

I'm far more motivated at home. It's been great being home. We are in the middle of renovating the house so every day I typically get up at 5:30 do a couple hours of work on the house then log on by 9. We also just got a puppy a few weeks back and it's been great for training him.